Police remand for arrested Trinamool activists

Midnapore: A local court on Tuesday remanded the two inmates of a Trinamool-run relief camp, arrested for having links with Maoists, in two days of police custody.

Amiya Mahato and Asim Mahato, who were slapped with charges of conspiracy and others under the Arms Act, were produced in the court of Midnapore chief judicial magistrate N N Dasgupta who remanded them in police custody.

Trinamool Congress observed a `black day` in the town and took out protest-processions to condemn the police baton charge in which 26 people, including five journalists, were injured, hours after the joint forces arrested the two activists yesterday.
The relief camp, being run by Trinamool Congress, is located inside a municipality guest house `Rajiv Gandhi Puro Niloy` here at Midnapore town.

Police alleged that both Asim and Amiya had a hand in the Maoist attack on a camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles at Silda, near here, on February 15, 2010 in which 24 jawans were killed.

Alleging arbitrary action of the joint forces, Trinamool Congress activists blocked the station road in the town, stalling traffic movement for hours and denied the police charge that the two persons were connected to Maoists.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee expressed regret at the assault of scribes and ordered an inquiry, but said that the incident proved the charge about a Trinamool Congress-Maoist nexus.